Clearance indicator for automobiles



Sept. 19, 1950 G. PRIPETON 2,522,637 CLEARANCE. INDICATOR FORAUTOMOBILES Filed NOV. 19, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 PHOTO TUBE AMPLIFIER 50AND RELAY UNIT INVENTOR. 650/965 e/psro/v,

WZ-Mflmmwflmm Sept. 19, 1950 G, PR|PET0N 2,522,637

CLEARANCE INDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed NOV. 19:. 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet2 a w p W :1 o q 33 53 56 37 9 32 FIG. 4.

FIG. 6.

- INVENTOR. GEORGE Pe/psro/v,

BY %%wozqflmm*mmz ATTOIQIVEYJ.

Patented Sept. 19, 1950 CLEARANCE INDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES GeorgePripetoii, Homestead, Pa. Application November 19, 1948, Serial No.60,931

This invention relates to a clearance indicator for aiding in parking anautomobile.

An object of the invention is the provision of a device attached toeither side of an automobile for engagement with the curbing of a streetor a parked vehicle for sounding an alarm as a warning to the operatorthat his automobile is too close to another vehicle or object and thatfurther movement in the same direction will cause injury to not only hisautomobile but to the parked car, said device including an oscillatablelamp on the rear bumper concentrating light rays on an oscillatablephoto-electric cell on the front bumper, contact of the lamp or cellwith an object causing the light rays to be deflected away from the cellwhereby a circuit is closed to an alarm.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a plurality ofelements mounted rockably in pairs of each side of an automobile, eachpair of elements including a photo-electric cell and a lamp adapted toconcentrate light rays on the associated cell. Engagement with an objector other automobile by one of the elements causing said element to berocked for cutting off the light rays from a lamp to the cell wherebyinstrumentalities are set automatically in operation for giving analarm, said device also acting to warn the operator of a vehicle that heis too close to another vehicle or object when driving along a road bed.

The invention is best understood from a consideration of the followingdetailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings,nevertheless, it is to be borne in mind that the invention is notconfined to the disclosure but is susceptible of such changes andmodifications as shall define no material departure from the salientfeatures of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure l is a plan view of an automobile showing mydriving and parking eye applied thereto,

Figure 2 shows more or less diagrammatically the electric circuits forthe parking eye,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal plan view of an attaching means for theparking and driving eye,

Figure 4 is a vertical section of the attaching means showing theelectric eye attached thereto.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of the electric eye takenalong the line 55 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a front view in elevation of a lamp, and

2 Figure 7 is a plan view of the lamp, shown de- 3 Claims. (01. 177-311)tached for directing light rays onto an electric eye.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, [0 and II designaterespectively front and rear bumpers of an automobile l2. As shown inFigures 3 and 4, a bracket l3 has an attaching flange l4 which isadapted to be secured to an end of the front bumper H]. An axle l5 has areduced threaded portion 16 received by an openin in a horizontal flangell of the bracket. A nut I8 screwed onto the threaded portion securesthe axle against rotation. An inverted cup-shaped member 20 has an axialpocket 2| receiving the upper end of the axle which is provided with anannular groove 22 for the reception of the inner ends of pins 23 topermit rocking of the cup in the axle while retaining the cup on saidaxle. A right hand coil spring 24 has one end secured to the axle [5while the other end is attached to a pin 25 threaded into a passage inthe cup-shaped member 20. A left hand coil spring 26 has its endsconnected between the axle and the pin 25. These springs work inopposition to each other to maintain the cup in a predeterminedposition. A detent 2! carried by the bracket 13 engages a notch 28 inthe member 20 to insure the proper position of said member as will beexplained presently.

A rockable rod 30 has one end received by a passage 3| in a verticalpost or extension 32 on the top of the member 20. The extension istapered transversely as shown in Figure 3. A set 'screw 33 and a nut 34are [adjusted to permit the rod to slide long its longitudinal axis butprevents turning of the rod. A collar 35 engages one face of-theextension and is fixed to the rod 30 by a set screw 36. A coil spring 31embracing said rod is pressed.- against the extension by the adjustmentof a collar 38 along the rod to return the rod to its original positionin case it is deflected along its axis. A set screw 39 fixes the collarin the place.

An electric eye in the form of a conventional photo-electric cell,generally designated by the numeral 40 is mounted in a casing 4| havingthe upper end attached to .a cover plate 42 rigid with is-held in placeby a shoulder on the projection 43' and the plate 42 and extendssufiiciently beyond theperiphery of said plate for engagement with anobject at one side of the fenders of a driven automobile so that the rodwill be rocked angularly or deflected axially. Wires 50 and extend fromthe cell.

The lamp 45 is supported at each end of the rear bumper ll by rods 30ain the same manner as are the cells 40 at the ends of the front bumper[0. All of the rods 30 and 30a have a fiat upper portion 52 forengagement with thevarious set screws for retaining the collars in placeand permitting the rod 30 to slide longitudinally without rotating onits longitudinal axis, said collars including a collar 53 received byeach rod and rigidly supporting a depending arm 54. Thefree end of thearms are in positions for engagement with the curbing along each side ofa street to cause rocking or sliding of the, various rods. A

set screw 55 positions adjustably the collar along the rod.

Referring more particularly to Figure 2, it will be seen that wires 60and; 6,! connect; therespective wires 50 and 5| with an amplifier andrelay unit 62 carried within the automobile. Wires 63 andv 64 connectsaid amplifier with a bell 65 also mounted in the vehicle. A wire 66 isconnected between the amplifier and Source of current 5"! while a wire;68 provides a connection between said source of current and a two wayswitch generally designated by the numeral 69. The switch is closedmanually when it is desired to park the car or when driving alonga roadbed. At this time the circuits to the lamps, the cells 40 and theamplifier are closed. However; the usual relay-operated switch in theunit 62 remains open until the light rays; from; the lamps 45 fail toaffect the cells.

The operation of my device is as follow-.-When it is desired to park,the switch 69 is closed and the lamps G5 are illuminated forconcentrating rays on the energized photo-electric cells 40., At thistime, the usual conventional automatic-relayoperated switch in the unit52' is open. If; the operator of the vehicle l2 drives his, car 'clgseenough to a parked car or object so that the rubber Washer, '41 willengage said car, the rod 30 adjacent the car will be rocked; angularlyordeflected axially and the photo-cell. 40 carried by said rod will bemoved out of the pat-1 Of the light rays from a lamp and therelayoperated switch will be closedto cause ringing of the bell 65.

If the'operator of the vehicle drives the vehicle too close to thecurbing, the arm 54. will engage the curbing and rock and slide one.ofthe rods 38 at the right hand side of the vehicle. The cell 49 on saidrod will be moved out of alignment with the light rays from the; lamps3-5 and cause ringing of the bell 65.

In a like manner when the lamps engage an object, one of the rods 300.will be rocked for cutting off the light rays to its associated-cell.The cutting off of the light rays from'a lamptwill cause therelay-operated switch in the unit 62 to close so that the alarm 65 will:be actuated. Further, should, an object pass between the, lamp and thephoto-electric cell without making contact with either, and interruptthe, light-to, the photo-electric cell, the alarm will also ring.

What I claim:

I. A clearance indicating device for-automobiles, comprising a pair ofmounting bracketsfto be secured to the automobile adjacent to one sidethereof and near its front and real. ends, substantiallyvertical'non-rotatableaxles secured to the mounting, brackets and:Projecting abovev the same, rotatable support members mounted upon theaxles and having openings in their bottoms for receiving the axles,spring means mounted within the openings of the support members andconnecting the support members and axles and serving to yieldinglyresist rotation of the support members in both directions, the supportmembers projecting above the tops of the axles and being provided withsubstantially horizontal bores; substantially horizontal rods mountedwithin the horizontal bores and adapted to shift longitudinally therein,means connecting the rods and support members and preventing rotation ofthe rods, springs connected with the rods and support members for urgingthe rods longitudinally in one direction, a source of light secured toone of said rods near its outer end and disposed laterally outwardly ofthe adjacentside of the automobile and projecting a beam of light towardthe other rod, a light sensitive cell secured to the other rod near itsouter end and disposed laterally outwardly of the adjacent side of theautomobile and positioned to receive the beam of light from the lightsource, and, electrical circuitmeens connected with the source of lightand light sensitive cell and including a, signal, the signal operatingwhen either the. source of light or light sensitive cell engages anobstruction which shifts either rod longitudinally inwardly or swingseither rod horizontally about either axle.

2. A clearance indicating device for automobiles, comprising a pair ofmounting brackets to be secured to the automobile adjacent to one-sidethereof and near its front and rear ends, substantially verticalnon-rotatable axles secured to the mounting brackets and projectingabove the same, rotatable support members mounted upon the axles, springmeans connecting the support members and. axles and serving, to resistrotation of the support members in both directions, the, support membersprojecting above the axles and having substantially horizontal bores,substantially horizontal rods mounted within the 1. horizontal bores,and adapted to shift axially therein, means connecting the rods andsupport members to prevent the rotation, of the rods, springs'connectedwith therods and support mem' bers for urging the :rods longitudinallyin. one direction, a lamp secured to one of the rods near its outer endand disposed laterally outwardly of; the adjacent side of theautomobile-and projecting a beam of lightlongitudinally of theautomobile and; toward the otherrod, a housing secured to the other rodnear its outer end and disposed laterally outwardly of the adjacent sideof the automobile and having a window to receive the beam of light, alight sensitive cell mountedwithin the, housing adjacent to the window,and an electrical circuit carriedaby; the automobile and connected withthe lamp. and light sensitive cell. and including an; audible signal,the. signal operating when either the lamp or housing strikes anobstruction'for' shifting either rod axially or swinging ithorizontally;

3. A clearance indicating device. for automobiles comprising a pair offixed supports secured to the automobile near one side thereof andnearits front and rear ends, support members journaled upon the fixedsupports for rotation' about substantially vertical axes, spring meansconnecting the support members and fixed supports and serving to resistrotation of the support members in both directions, substantiallyhorizontal rods. d y se r d to the suppor memb rs and adapted to shiftlongitudinally, means connected with the rods for preventing rotation ofthe rods about their longitudinal Taxes, springs connected with the rodsfor urging? the rods longitudinally inone direction, a lamp secured toone of "the rods near its outer and disposed laterally outwardly of theadjacent side of the automobile and projecting a beain of lightlongitudinally of the automobile and toward the other rod, a lightTsensitive cell secured-to the other rod near its 10 outer end anddisposed laterally outwardlygof the adjacent side of the automobile andpositioned to receive the beanf'of light, and electrical circuit meansconnected with the lamp and light sensitive cell and including a signal,the signal 15 2,440,587

operating when either the lamp or light sensitive cell engages anobstruction which shifts either rod longitudinally inwardly or swings ithorizontally in either direction.

GEORGE PRIPETON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES l'F'A'I'ENTS Number Name Date 2,261,190 Shropshire Nov. 4,1941 2,317,652 Toney Apr. 27, 1943 Krall Apr. 27, 1948

